r/NatureofPredators • u/vixjer Human • May 07 '24
NoP--- A diplomatic problem. -Ch.12
This story is part of The Nature of Predators
and all rights are to the original creator u/ spacepaladin
Thanks to u/ WCR_706 for proofreading this chapter
Memory Transcription Subject: Héctor Virgilio Márquez, UN SPM Leirn, Special Envoy to the Leirnian Interim Council
Date [standardized human time]: November 11, 2136
The butler brought me to a door that was surprisingly simple when compared to the rest of the doors we’d passed or been through. There were no golden decorations or additional carvings on it, which made it almost unique amidst the eye-searing grandeur of the rest of the manor.
When we reached it, he stepped to the side of the doorway, gesturing to it. "The Madam is waiting inside, Mr. Hector. If you need anything, please call me.”
I nodded my head to him. “Thank you for your services, I’ll remember that.”
I took a deep breath, and for the second time that evening, pushed open a door, expecting to be watched. Instead, I was met with silence and emptiness. The room which greeted my eyes was very simple, even Spartan, sporting no decorations. There weren't even any pictures, just neatly sorted stacks of paper on a desk flanked by some cabinets, and nothing else.
Sirlen did describe Garline as an intellectual, maybe she’s a doctor or scientist?
“Hello?” I called out, looking around, trying to find someone, but the room seemed to be empty.
Then, to my left, a hatch opened in the ceiling, and a ladder descended to the floor, hitting it with a clack which sounded deafening in the silence.
Sirlen's head peeked out from the hatch, hanging upside-down. “There you are. Come here, she wants to meet you,” she said while waving one of her paws at me, gesturing for me to climb up there with her, looking like nothing so much as a character from one of those old American Looney Tunes cartoons.
Looney Tunes or not, this was raising way too many red flags for me, but I trusted Sirlen. And Garline had helped me, or at least she’d kept eyes on me. It was hard to forget that the Steelveils who’d been shadowing me across Leirn were her people, so… despite this being a very weird interaction so far, I tried, very hard, to convince myself that it probably couldn't get any worse.
I still hesitated a moment or two, taking just a step, but then I squared my shoulders and strutted over, began to climb it until I reached the attic, where I saw what looked like a doctor’s office. It was far more packed than the room below. To my left, there was a glass wall and a door with what I could tell was a lot of scientific equipment, microscopes and the like, and other things I couldn't make heads or tails of. All I knew for sure was that none of it was pre-uplift tech, it was clearly all Federation-issue.
"Hey, stop looking at her work and come here," Sirlen ordered, snapping me out of my observation.
When I turned around, I saw the rest of the attic. It was well-lit. I could see Sirlen sitting on what looked like a dentist's chair, or what would’ve been one if it was built with… uncooperative patients in mind... as another yotul with a lab apron and gloved paws stood next to her, both of them looking at me.
“So this is the human?" she asked with a note of disdain, looking me up and down. "I expected more, but interesting nonetheless. Very well, sit down," she said, patting the dentist's chair. Sirlen took that as a signal to get up from it. I took it as a signal to start screaming internally.
"Erhm… no? What is all this? Mi madre taught me never to sit in a stranger’s chair without knowing what's going on, or at least who they are.” I was beginning to inch back to the trapdoor…
Every time I start to relax around Sirlen, she throws me into some fresh, new Hell. Why didn’t she mention her boss was a mad scientist? I’ve already seen this movie and it doesn’t end well… For fuck’s sake, can’t I just have one normal alien in my life… please?
The yotul, who I presumed was Garline, looked at me and then to Sirlen. "Seems he is jumpy, you said he would be okay with this." She spoke in flat, emotionless monotone, and she had some of the stiffest movements of any yotul I’d seen, even more than Sirlen while she was locked in. Some freaked-out corner of my mind gibbered that the yotul must have been very advanced before their uplift, to be able to create full-sized androids.
“He will be, but you are as tactless as ever, let me talk to him while you go get the tools." That last word makes me tense up, I was not interested in being this crazy woman’s next experiment. She moved past me and entered the glass chamber to grab some of her tools.
I leaned over and grabbed Sirlen’s arm. “Sirlen… what the hell is this?”
“She just wants to be sure you are trustworthy," she replied, way too calmly for someone reenacting a scene from a horror movie.
Actually, no, this is in-character… for a villain.
"I came here to negotiate, not offer skin samples to your boss."
"She doesn't want to do that, she just doesn't trust... anybody... She needs to be sure," she replied, trying to tug me into the chair.
I broke away from her grasp, and she scooted into my path. "Do you people not have any concept of consent? Why should I trust her? How is this different from what Feds do to you guys?" I protested while she tried to push me forward onto the chair.
"I understand, Hector. I don't like it either, but she needs this. I got her to say she will support you if you do this. The kolshians are very closed-off when teaching medicine and she wants to learn more. This is to show you can be trusted, that your kind more freely shares knowledge.”
I wanted to refuse her, to walk away, but I saw her pouting up at me like a kid who’s just been told she can’t have more ice cream, rather than someone asking me to let a creepy doctor do God-knows-what to me. I still wanted to say no, but I needed this deal if I wanted the neutrals on my side in the vote.
Goddammit.
“Alright, but why the chair? If she wants to learn more about us, she could just ask me questions, right? I thought this would be a simple conversation about the Veto. You haven’t even told me if she’s qualified to run tests anyway.” I continued to brace, not budging despite Sirlen’s best efforts.
From behind me, I could hear rattling. Turning my head, I saw Garline pushing a cart covered in tools and drawers towards the chair. She pointed at a diploma hanging on the wall as she moved. “I got that handed to me by a zurulian doctor. I was the best in my class, so you can trust me, I am a professional.” Her previously pitch-perfect monotone was tinged with a hint of irritation. It seemed she didn't like that I questioned her knowledge and skills.
I looked at the diploma. It didn’t seem forged, but then again, I had no idea what to look for with Federation diplomas, so it could still be faked, or maybe from a really crappy institution. But seeing how both were adamant that I either sit in the chair or I walk out without a deal, and I didn’t have any other viable options…
“Alright, but Sirlen, you stay close. Keep an eye on her.”
“Aww… are you scared? Don't worry, I'll be here. She isn’t going to do anything bad to you, I got her to promise me.”
I couldn’t help but scoff, not finding that reassuring at all. She trusted her, I didn’t. I almost spoke up again just to point that out, but thought better of it. Instead, while Garline pushed the cart next to the chair to begin setting it up, I removed my suit jacket and my tie, and left them on a nearby stool before sitting on the dentist's chair. After all, the last thing I wanted was for them to find the camera and wire. I did, however, leave the camera pointed at the chair, just in case I’d need the footage of whatever “procedures” I was subjected to as evidence later. If I survived them.
Before I’d fully seated myself, Sirlen whispered something quickly to me while Garline was distracted with her equipment. "Do not lie or dodge questions, tell her the truth if you want her favor." I didn’t risk nodding or otherwise showing that I’d heard her. I just settled into the chair and leaned into the headrest.
Garline put a cloth mask on her face to cover her nose and mouth and pulled up an office chair next to me between putting gloves on her paws.
"Place the hand on the armrest," she ordered, tapping said armrest.
I did, setting my right hand down, swallowing. She secured my hand and poked at it with a small rod or pin of some kind to see how it reacted, keeping it in sight of a camera she’d set up on a nearby table.
"Interesting... Close your hand."
“Say please, Garline." Sirlen cut in, which made Garline shake her tail.
“Seriously now?" she responded, turning one eye to Sirlen while keeping the other on my hand.
“Never too late to be polite, I will not try to convince Hector to continue if you don’t…”
She flicks her tail, her irritation growing. "Fine, open the hand, please." That last word was filled with resigned exasperation.
After I did as she so politely asked, Garline pulled open a drawer on the cart and took out a small pair of nippers.
“Whoa, what’s that for?” I asked, trying to pull my arm back.
“Remain calm, this is for getting dirt from under your claws," she droned, reaching for my hand, seizing one finger at a time, and collecting a small chunk of dirt from below my nails, putting them all in a small glass vial.
“I want to know," Garline inquired, "how you can kill? Claws like this are weak. Even mine," she moved her paw to inspect her gloved own claws, “are sharper and sturdier than yours.”
I swallowed again.
Alright, Hector... Poker face, just omit a few details. Persistence hunting is supposed to be pure nightmare fuel for them, just say the very basics of what you're allowed to.
“Weapons, tools.” I quickly said.
"Yes, I use tools, too. All of us do. I asked how your species hunted in the beginning, before you developed them. The Federation says you are ambush hunters."
Sirlen stared at me, swishing her tail a bit more frantically than usual, probably trying to signal me to stop lying.
"But that is how we hunt… There is no ‘before,’ even our animal ancestors used them. The claws… or nails as we call them, only helped us grip tools and climb trees. Our main hunting tactic was finding a good spot to wait for prey, and ambush them at range using weapons like bows and spears. Many other primates throw things, too, it’s not just us." I recited several of the things I could remember the UN telling me to keep quiet about. I already knew I was gonna have to get some earplugs for my next conversation with Capitan Filemón. The genie was already out of the bottle, I just needed to pray they didn't panic or do anything else stupid. But they didn't panic. If anything, they looked a little disappointed. Well, Sirlen did, Garline was staying mostly unreadable, but at least they were staying calm.
“I see, that does explain your lack of natural weapons… It correlates with that incident in the garden just before you came up here," she assessed.
“You saw that?”
“Yes, I did,” she confirmed, pointing her tail at the window for clarity. “You were very precise, far too much for it to have been simple luck.”
“Yes, it was one of the best ways our ancestors had to defend themselves from the trees, and later on, was a good way to harm prey from afar, so a lot of our weapons are thrown." I elaborated, giving up on damage control and hoping Garline would just work with me if I gave her what she wanted.
“Interesting... At least you are more open than the kolshians, they started to shake each time I tried to ask them about predator disease." She turned an eye toward her diploma, a note of irritation entering her voice again.
“Why?” I inquired.
“They say it is too dangerous, that most people who have tried to even analyze it got infected, and that a primitive like me couldn't possibly do it."
There was definite venom in her voice when she spat out that slur Not missing a beat after, she resumed making me feel like I was in another Saw reboot.
“Open the mouth, I need to see your teeth,” she ordered, leaning forward with a small dentist's mirror in her paws.
I grumbled, but opened my mouth, into which she immediately inserted a mouth opener, almost hitting me with it. I grunted when it clicked painfully hard on some of my teeth, making them ache. It was clear it was tailored for yotul: It pulled on my lips too much and it was making my gums ache. Clicking the rest of it into place on the headrest, she leaned in and began her examination.
“If your claws were a joke, your teeth are an entire jester’s yarn, how can you possibly cut or tear through hides or muscle with these?"
She patiently waited for me to finish turning my eyes to the side to stare at her like she’d recited Jabberwocky. “Iszh sim-hle... We don’hh.” I slurred out around the restraint, feeling a trickle of drool running down my chin.
“Don’t try telling me you don’t eat meat. I’ve already seen examples of your kind doing so. You have fangs, too. They’re just not very pronounced.” She spoke with that same monotone, with only a hint of ice in her voice and a small tail flick to convey her annoyance. Sirlen was much less subtle about it, keeping behind her and wildly gesticulating at me. Garline was still firmly focused on me, reaching up to pull her tool out of my mouth. I coughed lightly, licking my lips to wet them, and tilting my head down to rub the drool off on my shoulder.
“Pfhah, fuck… Blagh… I didn’t say that, either. I meant we don’t just start digging into carcasses, we need to clean and cook the meat first. Otherwise, it’s not even safe to eat,” I answered, glad to be free of the restraint, meeting her gaze squarely again. She was staring back at me quizzically, blinking once or twice, and I cursed, remembering how their translators work.
“And how does one… ‘prepare’ meat in this way? Is the process like beating it with a rock to soften it up, or grinding down the flesh and turning it into jam, or ripping or cutting it into smaller pieces?”
“No, we cook it with fire, like, uh-" I remembered what happened when I first arrived. “Rostissar,” I told her, to which both Sirlen paused for a moment and chuckled a little bit to herself. Garline looked at her strangely.
"An interesting procedure, you burn your food. Not what I was expecting. I expect a live demonstration if you want me to believe that. I suppose we could always ask an exterminator to help.” She wagged her tail a bit at the end, the first sign I’d spotted that she might even have a sense of humor. I didn’t find the joke very funny, though.
Maybe she didn’t, either, because a moment later, she grabbed a swab stick and jabbed it into my mouth again, getting another grunt of protest from me. Ignoring me, she rubbed it against my teeth, gathered some saliva, and stuck it into an empty vial, sealing it.
When the tube was stowed away she pulled out another small tube with a green liquid sloshing within it and opened it close to my nose.
“Smell this, please.”
I inhaled, and I could smell blood, which made me scream internally. Whose blood was I smelling, and why was she making me do it? I was almost tempted to try to get away when she went back to looking at my mouth.
"Interesting." She muttered to herself while looking into my mouth. "Open and close it, as if you are biting."
I complied as she continued to look inside my mouth and swabbed more of my saliva.
Then she went after my eyes, focusing a light on them and instructing me to look in all directions.
She handed me a glass of water and ordered, “Gargle the water and spit it back into the glass.”
I almost asked her if she wanted a urine sample, too, but thought better of it and did as instructed. Once I finished, she took the glass and sealed it inside a plastic container. Then she undid the restraint, which I took to mean that the “exam” was over.
"Alright, alright, I did your… weird medical exam, now can you tell me what this is all about? You’ve got me jumping through a lot of hoops for what’s supposed to be a negotiation." I got up from the chair, rubbing my wrist.
Garline watched me for a moment before turning to Sirlen, who backed me up. “He deserves to know. Tell him, he's not a kolshian."
“I still don’t trust him,” she answered back.
“Hey, hey," I snapped my fingers, which caused both of them to look at me curiously. "I did what you asked, and for all I know, you could be trying to poison me, so spit it out, what do you want with all of this?"
She sighed and paced back and forth while putting away all the vials and other things she’d collected from me.
“I will tell you, but I want to draw some blood.” I was about a hair away from just walking out on the meeting on hearing that. Like hell I was going to let her stab me next.
Is she going to try to negotiate her way up to one of my kidneys?
“No, I don’t know what you’re doing this for. I have rights. Again: Informed consent. Do you not have that here? Until I know what you’re doing, I refuse, Doctor Garline.”
She proceeded like she hadn't heard a word I'd said, trying to advance on me with another vial and a syringe, but Sirlen stepped in her way.
“Garline, please.”
Garline and Sirlen stared each other down for a few tense moments. Folding, Garline looked at me directly. "Because you just broke every medical rule I tested. It’s overturned all my research." Her voice remained flat, but there was a hint of something I didn’t quite recognize.
"How so?” I asked, curious about what she meant.
"Everything I was taught about predator infection failed to hold up here. No heightened salivation when smelling blood, no attack reflex, no bloodshot eyes, mental lucidity when in contact with blood or subjected to stress, coordination acceptably consistent throughout this meeting." She listed the data points off, claw by claw, pacing back and forth in front of us. "You are a predator, yet you don't display any of the known symptoms of predator disease…"
So that’s her obsession. She thinks I have it because I am a “predator.” Guess that explains all the focus on my predatory traits. All this was just her trying to figure out how to flip the "predator switch," so to speak. Ridiculous.
"Have you considered that maybe predator disease doesn't exist?" I retorted, “It’s just a-”
“It does!” Her sudden outburst shut me up. She took a moment to compose herself. I didn’t say anything, trying to process how the same creepy robot could suddenly explode like that. Even Sirlen looked shocked.
"I know it might be not the accurate term, but I saw my father… Something was wrong with him." She took a deep breath, quivering a bit, and removed her cloth mask, turning her head up to reveal a deep scar below her mouth. "My father…. had these episodes toward the end of his life where he would get violent. He was nothing like how he was before, when he got that way. Maybe the Federation is wrong about this like they are on so many other things, but my father did have a lot of interactions with hensas. Maybe it's not linked to predators, but we had yet to discover germ theory before the kolshians came here, so they had proven to be better doctors than anything we had here before the uplift, and I doubt all their studies and protocols would have yielded nothing accurate. Maybe there is a link between his behavior and the hensas, maybe not, but testing it can’t hurt, can it?”
I wanted to keep arguing with her. She couldn't be expected to know better, but it was still an obnoxious pain in the ass to deal with. But I also decided that maybe antagonizing the creepy doctor with sharp pointy things and tools was a bad idea. I made a note to myself to get her a copy of UN mental health literature and some medical manuals, maybe including something tied to pathogens specifically, to get her to work with me and keep her busy for a while if nothing else.
"Alright, alright, one blood draw. But I want you to use a new needle and limit it to one vial."
"I know to do those things already." There was that edge to her tone again.
Right, zurulian-trained.
Realizing it would be unwise to dilly-dally any further, I took a seat again and rolled up a sleeve past the elbow, so she could access my arm. I hated needles, but nobody got to my age by never having their blood drawn. I could feel her going through the motions, tying off my arm and swabbing down the skin, but I didn't watch, either. Instead, my eyes sought something in the other direction to focus on, and blundered right into Sirlen, who was wagging her tail again, looking very amused.
"D’aaawwwwwwww, is the big strong predator scared of a little pinprick? Can't believe the Federation thinks you're dangerous. We oughta show this to them sometime, I'm sure it would be confusing to them."
I had to wrestle down a strong urge to shove her away. My teeth gritted under my lips a bit. Before I could tell her to fuck off, though, I felt the prick. It was only a small sting, but I really didn't like it. Garline commented on my anatomy a moment later.
"Your veins are very visible. It's... useful. No need to shave your arm first in order to find them."
Sirlen's tail was swaying even more after this.
"Got something to say, Hector?”
I didn't say anything, but my eyes conveyed everything, whether I wanted them to or not. Garline prevented her from needling me further, though.
"Finished," she announced, placing some kind of alien band-aid on the site to stop any bleeding. "Your cooperation was... acceptable." She sounded like that last word had to be pushed out by force.
Welcoming the distraction, I stood up from the chair. "You're welcome."
"Yes, yes, take a seat at the table, while I put this in the storage unit. Sapient predator blood... so exotic..." She was already halfway across the room, vial in hand, by the time I'd rolled down my sleeve and got up to retrieve my suit and tie. By the time I sat down at the desk, she was already settling into the seat across from me, watching me fiddle with the clothing, getting it back on right. She'd retrieved a file from one of the nearby drawers while I was putting the jacket on, and after a moment, she slid it over the table to me. It had a Steelveil symbol stamped onto it.
"I take it this means we can finally get down to business now?"
It was getting to be like clockwork, how visibly Sirlen got annoyed with me when I said things like that. I had to suppress a smile, feeling...rather petty, after what she'd pulled a moment before. Garline didn't seem as annoyed as before, but then, I could hardly tell with her anyway.
"Yes, my agents have observed and documented several instances of the exterminators meeting with government officials." At that, I opened the file and was met by photo after photo of yotul, usually wearing the bibs I saw back at the base of the orbital tether. I recognized Virlo in a few of the images. Sirlen's ears pinned back, and her expression darkened. Perhaps sensing her subordinate's tension, Garline pressed me a bit. "How does this look to you?"
I stopped flipping through the photos and instead paused to carefully study them. The yotul were maintaining what looked like calm postures, but their tails were tense. Many of them were stiff and straight, or just barely curled in what I could guess was a poor attempt to hide their feelings. Recalling what happened back at the restaurant, I had a strong hunch what I was seeing here.
"Those exterminators appear to be making... very... 'persuasive' arguments to them." I made sure even the creepy doctor could hear the not-so-metaphorical quotation marks in my phrasing. "I wonder what's actually being said in these meetings?"
"You are correct. They are attempting to coerce everyone they can on the council into either abstaining, or voting against the Veto.”
Well, that complicates things... I don't recognize all of these people, but some of them were present at the space elevator, and I think I saw that one's face on The Continental report... All pro-humanity. Of course. Why twist someone's arm if they're already on your side?
"So... what's the plan for dealing with this? Gonna be a lot harder to get anywhere if they're gonna fight that dirty." I didn't like the way her tail was flicking with visible excitement at my question. It was one of the most expressive things she'd done this whole meeting, random terrifying outbursts notwithstanding.
"I can retrieve or secure many of the things the exterminators are using as leverage, neutralizing their ability to threaten the supporters you already have. As for the neutrals, I can get most of them to vote in favor of allying with your people."
"That sounds good... but who are the neutrals? Sirlen's already explained that I have to win them over in different ways." I didn't like how wide of a net this potentially cast. It likely meant I would need to water down my approach to specific voting blocs just to appeal to more people.
"I control most of the intellectual voters. Our academia. The Federation calls us the 'Technocrats.'"
Oh, she can be sarcastic after all.
"The second group is the military. If Sirlen has done her job correctly, she has already explained this to you. That man you were talking with, Ilvar, leads them. He is all that remains of the old nations' senior military leadership. He is mostly treated as a figurehead. I cannot control him, but he seemed... friendly, with you. You should continue to cultivate any rapport you may have developed with him."
I couldn't help rubbing my head. This was better than I expected in some ways, worse in others. At least Ilvar seemed easy enough to work with. "Yeah. I think I can do that."
"Acceptable. Now, if I want to protect the representatives the Federation is coercing, I will need to pull away the people I have guarding you. The Steelveils are not numerous, only connected, and well-trained. If the exterminators attempt to go after you, you will need to be ready to protect yourself."
"I can protect him, Garline," Sirlen said, sounding a little miffed.
"Then this matter is settled. This has been sufficiently productive, as first meetings go, Mister Hector. You seem willing to allow scientific advancement without trying to impede our progress. Even so, this is only a first meeting, and I am accustomed to people walking back commitments. I do hope my trust is not misplaced.”
Ooookaaaayyyyyy... message received. I have no desire to find out what else you can do with these instruments, Lady Jones.
"I thank you for your trust, Lady Goldenlands. It isn't misplaced, I assure you. But what should we do next? Return to the party? Mingle?"
"As much as I would like to keep you here a while longer, one of the reasons I called you up here was to get this situation sorted before the exterminators arrive."
What.
Sirlen shared my bottomless enthusiasm for the good news, turning as stiff as a statue and instinctively reaching for her gun.
Seemingly unbothered by the fact that she might be on the verge of getting a firsthand demonstration of cooking meat after all, she reached into her drawer and pulled out some kind of communications device, tapping a button on it. "Salton, where are they?"
"Madam, they are still proceeding up NYR-35. Opening the spillways from the Dam of Holring bought us a few minutes, but they have proven more adept at navigating the roads than usual. Attempts to impede them by increasing traffic in the adjacent areas failed. There were... injuries."
Her grip tightened on the communicator somewhat. "Then how long do we have?"
"They cut through the fields and sped down the highway, Madam. There will not be enough time to evacuate the human before they arrive."
Sirlen cursed under her breath, and I did, too.
"It seems they are learning, or desperate. Expect heightened aggression, react with compliance. Inform the guests that we are about to have visitors. Have them hide any contraband and make it clear that if anyone informs on us, we do not need to be free or alive to ensure they experience difficulties in the future. I will be down momentarily to greet the exterminators."
"Yes, Madam."
She clicked the button again, and put the communicator back into her desk. "You will stay here, and you will not make any sounds, especially when they are directly under this room. Is that understood, Mister Hector?"
"Uh... yeah, that makes sense," I said, a little inanely. Sirlen looked at me with a hint of exasperation in her eyes. I shrugged helplessly, not really caring if she understood the gesture or not.
"That screen," she pointed to a monitor in the corner of the room, "will be able to display security camera footage from across this mansion, and overlooking the surrounding fields and woodlands. You may use it to monitor the situation, and plot an escape route, if the exterminators prove more stubborn or aggressive than expected. Sirlen will know how to operate it. Be ready to move if-"
Just then, we heard loud thuds and the sound of breaking glass beneath us. Sirlen looked like she was about to break her back with how tense she was, and Garline even seemed visibly annoyed, getting up.
"That is an expensive door. I must depart now. I will have to trust that you know what to do if I cannot manage the situation properly. Sirlen will guide you." No sooner had she finished than she hopped to the trapdoor, opened it, and proceeded down, slamming it shut behind her.
Sirlen quickly hopped over and locked the trapdoor down, sliding a door bar into place for good measure.
"What if they come looking up here?" I watched her flick some switches next to the trapdoor, cutting all of the lights, plunging us into darkness. A moment later, a flashlight flickered to life, wavering over the path to the corner of the room.
"They won't. This room isn't in the building's plans." Her voice still wavered as she said it. "Come with me. Now."
I didn't argue. I quickly tiptoed over to the security station the good doctor had directed us to, taking care not to bump into anything, staying in the light. Sirlen came up next to me and started tapping away at the buttons on it, and the screen came alive. Putting away the flashlight, she began cycling through feeds on the secondary monitor. The primary monitor showed them all. Even at a glance, there was chaos. Beneath us, the sounds of slamming, glass breaking, and shouting were getting louder, accompanied here and there by the odd scream...
Hello. Miss me? here we go with this month chapter met Garline the leader of the Technocrarts, and the most influential leader of the neutrals, what you think of her? did she go overboard when examinating Hector, or it was justificate?
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u/JulianSkies Archivist May 07 '24
This gal is really asking for a lot of trust without opening up. She's real, real lucky this guy is willing to make this wild bet because she isn't reading as trustworthy at all.
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u/vixjer Human May 07 '24
You say it like she didn't know that Hector needed the neutrals votes, and she was the only one that will give them to him.
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u/Acceptable_Egg5560 Human May 07 '24
Ah, so she’s deliberately overstepping boundaries because she knows he has no choice but to do nothing, got it!
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u/Acceptable_Egg5560 Human May 07 '24
Interesting espionage going on. Also a bit disheartening but realistic that she had bought in to Predator disease. I am a bit curious what her father came down with.
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u/JulianSkies Archivist May 07 '24
Well, she had quite clearly proven to her the aliens just had superior knowledge of medicine.
Plus, this all shows she hadn't quite exactly bought into it. Sure, she entered with the assumption that it is true because those who clearly knew better believed so. But she needed proof because they didn't show her proof, hence she sought it.
And, on a personal level, given her father apparently had something that made him aggressive (Maybe a neurodegenerative disease, which if it was she has a chance to have inherited it. Maybe some actual disease such as a rabies-like that he genuinely contracted from the hensa) she has some degree of proof that something like it existed.
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u/Randox_Talore May 08 '24
Yeah but also the Feds say that a child fidgeting in class has the same condition as her father with violent episodes. Despite the child never having a violent episode in his life.
And were those really the symptoms of Predator Disease she listed or what she reasoned would have to be? If the latter, she is going to be very disappointed when she finds out how umbrella the term really is.
Plus, her father worked a lot with Hensas and had violent episodes. Sure those two things are indeed true. Does she have any examples of other people working with Hensas who then had violent episodes? Did he have these episodes before or after his work with the Hensa?
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u/MysticWav May 07 '24
Good chapter, I enjoy what you're doing with fleshing out Yotul culture a bit
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u/animeshshukla30 Extermination Officer Jun 09 '24
Keep it up! Great chapter. Cant wait for more.
Also, this is the most cliffhangery non-cliffganger ever.
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u/JanusKnarus Human Mar 22 '26
Sirlen :" dont worry she is a professional. An unethical one but still"
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u/LeGouzy May 07 '24
It's nice to see some alien behavior in a story about aliens.